[Via Satellite 10-20-2014] Kacific has signed a five-year multimillion-dollar agreement to provide broadband services to the island nation of Kiribati on the Kacific 1 High Throughput Satellite (HTS) when it launches in early 2017. To cover the 100,000 citizens dotted on 33 islands and atolls that stretch across 3.5 million square kilometers, the company intends to deploy four high power Ka-band beams.

The agreement signing precedes the privatization of the state owned telecommunications service, Telecom Services Kiribati Limited (TSKL). Kacific’s satellite broadband is expected to ensure connectivity to the entire nation, as the telco’s new owners will likely focus on the more heavily populated areas such as South Tarawa, the capital.

Kacific will begin providing service at 150 Mbps, with the ability to increase bandwidth in 50 percent bursts. Over time the service will increase to 200 Mbps. The Kacific 1 HTS satellite will also be used for cellular backhaul for the nation’s 3G/LTE mobile network.